Social Media Intervention

Social Media Intervention

My friend you came to the right place tonight. Indeed you are experiencing the curve that we all know, love and/or hate. The social networks that you’re talking about are only as good as your own personal networking skills. Before I got into social networking I was already on the streets meeting folk, sharing my content. But even before I had books to sell I was on the streets promoting with flyers that “the books are coming!” “the books are coming!” No, everyone doesn’t have the gumption that I have, this year raw energy that put me on the corner of 34th St. and seventh Avenue day in and day out until the major most media sources recognized me.

But while I look at that footage now, me on ABC news, and as much as I can laugh at myself for someone being a three ring circus in the middle of New York City, I know that without my activities there on the corner I would not be as recognized as I am today (whatever that is) in the book industry. I was the walking talking “Law of Attraction.”

But of course, that was 2003 to 2009. And that was the infancy of social media, including AOL, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. And so while I was on the streets of New York selling my books I was also tweeting and Facebook thing and youtubing. I’m unclear about what your project, your product or your agenda is but I do know that to move it forward and to get people to know who you are and what you do you need to get out there and meet people. You can’t simply sit back in your mom and pop shop and expect the world to come to your door because you put up a post. There is a bigger blueprint and a bigger plan for your brand, and if you are in the book business which I suspect you are, you will need to work 10 times harder than someone selling cold soft drinks in the summer.

Another thing: social media is about socializing. I know you see businesses promoting themselves on social media, however there are large agendas behind them and small armies that serve to push that agenda forward. Unless you have an army or a big budget, you will need to look at social media in different ways.

The most important value that you can bring to social media is content. And the content must be shared in the most non-aggressive manner. If you do it aggressively you will be looked upon his spam. So let’s look at a few scenarios: If you produce cookbooks or write cookbooks you need to be posting recipes with a photo on Pinterest, Facebook, Flickr and Instagram. If you write or publish books about cars, then you need to do the same by posting a photo of the car and why that car is relevant in this day and time. Or if it’s a book about classic cars, why the car was relevant and important and popular way back when. If you produce or publish a book about business there will obviously be some keys to business success in the book. Therefore, if it was my book of course there are references to successful business owners in your book… i’m assuming there’s got to be if that book is going to push the envelope forward and teach folk about new/next level business strategies. In my business book I would most likely identify people like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and some entertainment moguls and some well-known community personalities who own big businesses and I would interview them and talk to them about their keys to success. And I would take quotes from those interviews and I would post the picture (along with the quotes) of the personality on those same social network platforms. WordPress and Facebook are platforms where you can post written audio video and still photography. These platforms also allow you to post live links. But let me also say this, if you have books about cooking or cars or business then you better have an audio project going to accompany your knowledge in these areas. If you’re cook you need to have a cooking radio show if you are a car manufacturer then you need to have your own magazine and your own Internet radio show to discuss with your buyers and you’re satisfied customers the use of your vehicles. And naturally if you have books about business then you obviously are one of the foremost Masters in business and therefore people want to know what you have to say and therefore you need to have your own Internet radio show to hear your voice and your perspective and to have conversations with your satisfied clients and your constituency. If you can’t do any of these things, including producing video testimonials with your satisfied clients, including photography photos of your satisfied clients and written testimonials… If you cannot do an Internet radio show and feel you have no content that would be of interest to people, then I would only suggest to go back to the drawing board and recognize what it is that you master. For when you master something people want to know what you know. There are people behind you and potential apprentices and followers who want to obtain the skills you have obtained. Not being facetious here just trying an analogy and making a point: If you are unable or un-interested in sharing such information then you are but a miser and really are of no interest to others whether it’s on or off social media.

Build your social media by building your relationships. Create an agenda to meet with 10 to 20 top leaders in your community. Those leaders would be “connectors” cool all have followings and fellowships and constituencies over and above 1500 people. If you’re meeting and having coffee with and dining and having drinks with and connecting with 10 people from your community, all of whom have followings of 1500 people or more, you are essentially meeting with 15,000 people. (at least in theory)

Finally, I recently picked up a client that owns a restaurant and I now help them with consultation. However, their branding is quite unique and it reminds me that every restaurant that has developed the following needs to #1) have it’s own magazine, #2) have its own video stream and #3) all of this content needs to be shared on social media as well as their main website.

I watch a group of ladies get together from time to time in my community and they fail time after time. Not that their intentions are not good/that is not the case. But they hold these events… These symposiums that profess to show others the ins and outs of life, and yet they fail to share that intelligence with the world. Instead of sharing with just 15 or 20 people in an audience (A closed room, really) they have the wherewithal to share their information and their knowledge with the world. But they fail because they go through so much to have these events, and it amounts to but a whisper that nobody hears. I say that to say, please videotape your most important engagements with groups of people. If you are the master of something then most likely you are always talking about that something. You’re even preaching. That interaction needs to be on video for the world to see. And right now the world is seeing through social media. Once upon a time it was smoke signals and pigeons and Morse code; but today it is social media. Blessings

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Shoot your videos from your laptop or from your desktop with an external camera plugged into your USB. External cameras cost less than 30 bucks today and Home Depot or Walmart. Start getting used to seeing yourself on camera and fine-tune it by watching YouTube videos on how to produce the best videos from home. Your website should be a word press site and there are plug-ins to include your social media. What I tell clients who are getting into social media is, start with Instagram and work your way up. If you have a Facebook then Instagram will cross post to your Facebook and your Twitter simultaneously. Post and Instagram picture with a paragraph of common sense and use your crossposting options in your Instagram platform. Nothing better than posting a photo on Instagram with some sage advice and for that to be shared over numerous networks. And when you do your Instagram post be sure to use your hashtags so if you’re speaking about cars #cars if you’re speaking about embroidery #embroidery if you’re talking about historical something or other make sure you #historicalsomethingorother LOL okay my advice night has turned into my advice morning I am hitting the pillow have fun. Study your how-to videos on YouTube